Theodore Carl Eickhoff

Dr. Theodore C. Eickhoff died peacefully on March 24, 2018. Dr. Eickhoff was a respected Professor of Medicine specializing in infectious diseases who never really learned the meaning of retirement. His professional, scholarly output included 73 original medical investigations, 63 review articles and commentaries and 48 book chapters spanning the years 1961-2008. Dr. Eickhoff was a deeply faithful man, a devoted Lutheran driven to service for the Lord. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Margaret; his two sisters Elizabeth and Miriam; sons Stephen, Mark and Philip; and grandchildren Clara, Leah, Emily, Gregory, Miriam, Ayden, Karl and Jerrit. He was preceded in death by his brother Henry.

A memorial service will be held at Saint Peter Lutheran Church, Greenwood Village, on Sunday, April 15 at 3:00pm.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Don Hinchey Scholarship Fund at Our Father Lutheran Church, Centennial, or to the Scholarship Fund at Saint Peter Lutheran Church.

~~ In Memoriam: Theodore C. Eickhoff, MD (1931-2018) ~~

It is with great sadness that we inform you of the death on 24 March of our long-time colleague and friend Dr. Theodore (Ted) Eickhoff, Professor Emeritus in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He was 86 years old. Ted was one of the founding fathers of the now critically important discipline of Infection Prevention and Control. He began his career at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and was actively involved in the global campaign to eradicate smallpox. He was a life-long champion of adult immunizations. He was committed to educating his colleagues about balanced assessments of benefits, costs and risks of routine vaccination to prevent diphtheria, tetanus, measles, rubella, influenza, hepatitis B and pneumococcal disease.

He was recruited to the Department of Medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center (UCHSC) in 1967, and 6 months later was appointed head of the new Division of Infectious Diseases. Ten years later, Dr. Eickhoff was appointed Chief of Medicine at Denver General Hospital, now Denver Health Medical Center. In 1981, he became Director of Internal Medicine at Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center. He was the author of over 120 peer-reviewed publications. He served as the President of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) in 1983. In 1991, he returned to UCHSC to pursue his research interests and he served as the medical director of Infection Prevention and Control at the University of Colorado Hospital from 1991-2002. He served for 23 years as the Chief Medical Editor of Infectious Disease News. He was awarded Emeritus status in 2003.

Dr. Eickhoff received the Max Finland Award from the Infectious Disease Society of America in 1995. For his life-long work, he was presented the 2010 Charles Merieux Award, named in honor of Dr. Charles Merieux, a French scientist and visionary who devoted his life to the prevention of infectious diseases through vaccines. Ted’s legacy remains alive in the numerous residents and fellows he helped train and the numerous lives that were saved in the past and will be saved in the future through his lasting contributions to rigor and quality in infection prevention. Ted’s was a life well-lived!

Funeral services will be held at 3:00 PM on Sunday, April 15 at Saint Peter Lutheran Church, 9300 East Belleview Avenue in Greenwood Village. Memorial Contributions may be made to either The Don Hinchey Scholarship Fund at Our Father Lutheran Church, 6335 South Holly St in Centennial or The General Scholarship Fund at St. Peter Lutheran Church.

Michelle Barron, MD

Professor of Medicine

Eric Poeschla, MD

Professor of Medicine